Ontario could be at risk of energy shortfall this summer, report finds
Ontario could be at risk of energy shortfalls this summer if heat waves continue to strike, according to a report by a North American electricity regulator.
The province is the only Canadian region listed in the May summer reliability assessment as being at an “elevated risk” of shortfalls should temperatures spike.
The report, released by non-profit North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), suggests Ontario has entered a period in which “generation and transmission outages will be increasingly difficult to accommodate.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The report noted planned outages due to nuclear plant refurbishment have reduced electricity supply resources. It also suggests the Windsor-Essex area may not be able to get “sufficient supply” due to increasing demand.
However, the regulator also says Ontario could rely on imports and outage management for a “significant number of weeks” under both normal and extreme weather conditions.
Tom Chapman, an energy economist with The Brattle Group, told CTV News Toronto on Monday the risk of an energy shortage is “slightly heightened” due to generated outages and potentially bad weather, however, he doesn’t anticipate mass power outages unless there are extreme circumstances.
“We will almost certainly be okay. There really is not any cause to be alarmed,” he said.
“It's the system operators doing their prudent planning and making sure they're putting everything in place to ensure that there isn't a localized grid outage.”
Chapman says Ontario has come a long way since the summer of 2003, when a massive power outage caused a blackout not only across the province, but also into the United States. He notes the province has boosted its supply of renewable, nuclear and hydro-electric power. He also said that if Ontario gets in a bind, it has more partnerships and can purchase power from neighbours to keep the lights on.
“We're in a much more robust situation that we were in 2003,” Chapman said. “We have more tools in the toolbox to deal with difficult circumstances than we did in the past.”
But the New Democratic Party MPP Peter Tabuns feels like funding cuts to renewable projects by the Progressive Conservative government are partially to blame for the summer assessment’s conclusions.
“Ontario is the only province in Canada that is rated with elevated risk that it can’t meet peak demand,” Tabuns said in the Legislature Thursday. “After five years, this government’s policies of cutting funding for efficiency and conservation, of demolishing wind farms and cancelling other renewable projects have led to this.
“We’re going to see more extreme weather that increases the chances that we’ll have outages.”
Minister of Energy Todd Smith responded by saying the province’s system is 90 per cent clean and “attracting investment from all around the world.”
“We have a grid in Ontario that is the envy of all jurisdictions in North America: one that’s clean, one that’s affordable, one that’s reliable and one that’s safe.”
The report notes that an ongoing transmission outage at the interconnection between New York and St. Lawrence could impact the province’s ability to import and export energy. But this issue is expected to be resolved by the end of the year.
Much of southern and central Ontario experienced a multi-day heat event last week, with temperatures soaring to about 31 C before humidex.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Queen's Park Bureau Chief Siobhan Morris
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.